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"The right to a healthy environment is a crucial human right because it directly impacts our quality of life." -Greenpeace
BGSC's Story
Dr. Om's Story (Founder)
Omilaye (Dr. Om) is an Ecowomanist, ecospiritualist, Buddhist, cancer survivor-warrior, and a holistic health practitioner in traditional medicine. As an American-AfroCuban woman, raised by traditional herbalists, she truly did not embrace her path until 2013, when she was diagnosed with Leukemia. During treatment, she was gently encouraged to read Audre Lorde’s Cancer Journals & Burst of Light. This was when the spark ignited inside of her.
In 2013, she founded Black Girls Survive Cancer, Inc. (BGSC) as a campaign of support to illuminate the disparities which exists in cancer care, especially after quickly learning she would need a bone marrow transplant and that there were not enough African American donors.
Lorde’s work became a guiding light and a grounding force in how BGSC aims to serve its community, which is to raise awareness on the impact (both positive and negative) of our environment on cancer-related illnesses and those health inequities experienced by Africana women -women of African descent in the Diaspora.
In 2022, Omilaye completed both her Master of Arts in Africana Women Studies from Clark Atlanta University and a holistic health certification from A Life of Peace Educational Wellness Institute. Since graduating in 2022, she has been working through BGSC, community organizing nature-health events, such as “It’s in our Nature-Walk.”
Gayle Rice (CFO)
Financial Wellness Warrior
A Data Analyst by resume, Gayle Rice uses her superpowers by night to coach, train, promote, and shout Financial Confidence from the rooftops.
Using more than a decade of experience in Mortgage Banking, Gayle has helped hundreds of families to gain momentum and make strides toward their Financial Wellness goals with a dose of Self Love and Self Care.
Although she began with a no-nonsense approach to Financial Counseling, she discovered a need to fill in the gap left by Financial Gurus who preached self-deprivation as the sole path to Financial Wellness. From this, the Self F.I.I.R.S.T. method was born and has developed into a holistic approach to Financial Wellness that is centered on the individual and focused on striking balance, honoring your full self, and enriching financial confidence. This approach illuminates the visibly underrepresented needs of the individual which in turn empowers confidence while fostering sustainable leadership.
Gayle and her superpowers have been an integral force in BGSC, Inc.’s sustainability and how we commit to serve. It is through her guidance that we have expanded our understanding of the inextricable link between health equity and financial wellness.
Omilaye's images from diagnosis to now
